Atom Investors LP Buys 151,901 Shares of Golar LNG Limited $GLNG

Atom Investors LP lifted its stake in Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ:GLNG) by 116.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 282,305 shares of the shipping company’s stock after purchasing an additional 151,901 shares during the period. Golar LNG makes up approximately 0.8% of Atom Investors LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Atom Investors LP’s holdings in Golar LNG were worth $10,505,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in GLNG. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in shares of Golar LNG by 50.7% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 4,332 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $161,000 after buying an additional 1,457 shares in the last quarter. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Golar LNG in the fourth quarter worth $1,465,000. Militia Capital Partners LP raised its position in shares of Golar LNG by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Militia Capital Partners LP now owns 45,000 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,674,000 after buying an additional 1,602 shares in the last quarter. Kettle Hill Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Golar LNG in the fourth quarter worth $5,900,000. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund purchased a new stake in shares of Golar LNG in the fourth quarter worth $1,700,000. 92.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Golar LNG Trading Down 3.1%

NASDAQ GLNG opened at $49.59 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $53.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $46.28. Golar LNG Limited has a twelve month low of $35.02 and a twelve month high of $57.79. The company has a quick ratio of 2.57, a current ratio of 2.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The company has a market capitalization of $5.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.94 and a beta of 0.02.

Golar LNG (NASDAQ:GLNG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 26th. The shipping company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter. Golar LNG had a return on equity of 6.86% and a net margin of 30.10%.The business had revenue of $137.55 million for the quarter. Research analysts forecast that Golar LNG Limited will post 0.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Golar LNG Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Golar LNG’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on GLNG shares. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $67.00 price objective on shares of Golar LNG in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Golar LNG from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 23rd. Pareto Securities downgraded Golar LNG from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Golar LNG from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $65.00 price objective on shares of Golar LNG in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $56.70.

About Golar LNG

Golar LNG Ltd. is a leading owner and operator of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers and floating infrastructure. The company specializes in the transportation of LNG on long-term and spot charters for major energy firms around the world. In addition to shipping, Golar LNG has broadened its services to include project development and the conversion of existing carriers into Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) and Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) vessels.

Since pioneering the first purpose-built FLNG conversion project, Golar LNG has been at the forefront of offshore gas monetization.